Chapter Sixteen: Transformation

Lu Yalan grabbed Hong Xing and pulled her back. “Come back, Hong Xing. I’m fine. I’m just happy to see we’re both safe and sound!”

Hong Xing let out a breath of relief, then rather forcefully tucked Lu Yalan into the covers. “Yes, to survive a great calamity is to be blessed afterwards. From now on, everything will go smoothly for us!”

Lu Yalan smiled. “If that’s true, then what about before? I was seriously ill, you were injured not long ago, and yet we’ve landed in trouble again.”

Hong Xing frowned, a little displeased at Lu Yalan’s jest about such matters.

Lu Yalan quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Hong Xing. If I hadn’t spoken out of turn, you wouldn’t have had to suffer this disaster alongside me. I promised to protect you, and not only did I fail, I even dragged you into harm’s way.”

Hong Xing grew more dissatisfied. “Miss, what are you saying? How can you say you dragged me into this? Besides, you don’t even know how beautiful you looked that day. If anyone challenges you in the future, you must answer them back just like that.” She emphasized again, “Truly, you were especially dazzling, like you were glowing!”

Lu Yalan’s cheeks reddened. “R-really?”

Hong Xing nodded firmly. “That Li Qiuling is deranged, bold enough to kill at whim, yet still has so many admirers. They’re all fooled by her pretty face. People like her are rare; it was just our misfortune to cross her path.”

Lu Yalan recalled that day and still felt unsettled. “Yes, we know a face, but not a heart. We must be careful in the future—not lose our lives over a moment’s dispute. By the way, what happened after I lost consciousness?”

“A worshipper who came to make an offering saved us.”

After Lu Yalan fainted, Hong Xing clung to her and tried desperately to rise to the surface, but her limbs grew heavier and heavier; she began to sink as well. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a man reached out to her, backlit by the sun.

“After we reached the shore, I passed out too. When I woke, I was in the guest quarters. I asked Master Liao Yuan, and he said that man found monks to help us, then disappeared. No one knows who he was. During these days we were unconscious, Mrs. Mu took care of us—she sent her maid to tend to us until I recovered.”

Lu Yalan felt a touch of regret. “So we have no idea what our benefactor looks like—no way to thank him.” Then, thinking of Mrs. Mu, she smiled. “The greatest gain from this trip to Qianyun Temple has been meeting Aunt Mu. When I’m better, I must thank her properly.”

“Mrs. Mu truly is a good person. She visited you often these past days. As for that madwoman Li Qiuling—when she heard we were all right, she pretended to come check on us, too.”

“I think she just wanted to see why we weren’t dead! I couldn’t even get out of bed at the time, so I could only glare at her in anger. Li Qiuling even told Mrs. Mu to stay away from you or she’d catch bad luck, but Mrs. Mu had her thrown out. Really thrown out—the Mu family’s staff grabbed her by the collar and tossed her into the courtyard. She’s utterly humiliated now.”

As she spoke, Hong Xing burst out laughing. “After Mrs. Mu learned what led to us falling into the water, she worried Li Qiuling would try to find and harm our rescuer, so she told everyone she was the one who saved us. You should have seen her—she looked just like a triumphant rooster, head held high, completely disdainful of her defeated rival. Li Qiuling was so angry she tried to have her lackeys seize Mrs. Mu, but the Mu family’s men beat them all down.”

Lu Yalan, picturing the scene, couldn’t help but laugh out loud as well.

“Aunt Mu is truly thoughtful. The Li family is powerful—if Li Qiuling really wanted to look for our savior, he’d be in danger. This way, he has nothing to worry about. When we’re back, I’ll ask my brother to help me find him. No matter what, I must thank him.”

Hong Xing hesitated for a long while before finally speaking. “Miss, are you just going to let this go? Let Li Qiuling off so easily?”

In the past, without evidence, Lu Yalan would have endured in silence, but after what happened with the second concubine, Hong Xing was no longer sure.

Lu Yalan answered resolutely, “My life is not something Li Qiuling can just take! If I were dead, there’d be no witness, but I’m alive—I can’t let her get away with it!”

Hong Xing stared at her mistress, sensing something in her had changed.

Lu Yalan used to be timid and withdrawn, her thick bangs hiding her eyes, always keeping her head down, like a mushroom growing moldy in a dark, damp corner.

After Zhao Dingsheng broke off the engagement, Lu Yalan became sharp and prickly, her defenses stabbing out at the slightest touch. Yet those with experience could tell it was just a façade—like a beautifully decorated dagger, exquisite in appearance but liable to snap under real pressure.

But now, Lu Yalan’s sharpness had faded, and she had become gentle as before. Yet even her heavy bangs could not dim the brilliance in her dark eyes—confident, strong, and utterly justified, as if a treasured sword had found its scabbard, its light hidden, but once drawn, destined to taste blood.

As someone who spent every day with Lu Yalan, Hong Xing sensed this transformation before anyone else.

“The Lu and Li families are evenly matched. If the Li family’s eldest daughter harmed the Lu family’s legitimate daughter, no one would believe it without evidence. The Li family’s servants won’t testify for us, and we can’t implicate our benefactor.”

Lu Yalan thought for a moment. “Li Qiuling seemed all too practiced at killing; it’s probably not her first time. Once we’re home, let’s keep an eye on her. If she tries anything again, that’ll be our opening, and we’ll surely uncover more. Revenge is not something to be rushed.”

Lu Yalan had never been foolish. As a child, she knew how to exploit ‘the rules’ to lessen her own suffering. Now, when she put her mind to it, she could still quickly see through any problem.

Hong Xing’s eyes shone as she nodded vigorously. “I’ll do as you say, Miss!”

The next day, when news spread that Lu Yalan had awoken, Mrs. Mu hurried over, bringing with her the abbot of Qianyun Temple, Master Liao Yuan.

“Master, please check on Yalan. A young girl mustn’t be left with any lasting ailments.”

Though Mrs. Mu looked plump and kindly, she was a whirlwind in action—no one could dissuade her once she set her mind.

At the sound of her voice, Lu Yalan couldn’t help but smile. Mrs. Mu reminded her so much of the mother she’d always imagined.

Unable to resist, Lu Yalan acted coquettishly. “Aunt Mu, I’m almost completely recovered. No need to trouble the Master!”

As she spoke, she nodded to Master Liao Yuan. Only then did she realize that the esteemed abbot of Qianyun Temple was the very monk who had waited for her outside the doors her first day there.

Lu Yalan’s affection for Master Liao Yuan grew instantly.

Seeing her unreserved request, Mrs. Mu grew even more delighted. “It’s not for you to say, it’s for the Master to decide. You’re too frail, and the Master is skilled at strengthening the body. Let him write a prescription for some medicine. If you’re ill, you’ll be cured; if not, it’ll keep you healthy!”

Lu Yalan thought of the bitter concoctions and felt a little unwilling.

She didn’t realize that, in front of these two, she’d let down all her defenses—her every thought was written plainly on her face.

Mrs. Mu couldn’t help but pat her on the head. The girl’s hair was soft, quite unlike the stubborn, wary persona she showed others—perhaps this was her true nature, and the rest was but a mask. Mrs. Mu sighed inwardly, feeling even more tender toward her.

“Good child, what do you plan to do about Miss Li? Would you like my help?”

Lu Yalan quickly waved her hands. The last thing she wanted was to drag Mrs. Mu into this any further, let alone involve a caring elder completely. Though Mrs. Mu seemed a wealthy matron with capable retainers, Lu Yalan had met most of the notable ladies in Yancheng and none bore the surname Mu.

She guessed Mrs. Mu came from a moderately wealthy household, which matched her straightforward way—unburdened by too many rules.

The Lu and Li families were equally matched, and Lu Yalan was not afraid of Li Qiuling. But if it involved the Mu family, things would change. The Li family might not dare cross the Lus, but if they tried to retaliate against the Mus, what then? Lu Yalan would not take that risk.

“Aunt Mu, I’m already deeply grateful for your care these past days. I can’t trouble you further. I’ve sent word to my family—surely the Li family will have to answer for this.”

“Miss Li is still at the temple. If there’s anything you want to do, just tell me. They can’t match my people.” Mrs. Mu leaned closer and whispered, even winking.

Lu Yalan blinked, then realized what Mrs. Mu meant.

A secret beating!

What to do? She was tempted!

In the end, though, she refused the tempting offer—if not firmly, then at least sincerely. “Aunt Mu, there’s no need to act. I’ll handle Li Qiuling myself.” She glanced at Master Liao Yuan standing nearby. “Qianyun Temple is a place of peace. No need to dirty it with such things. I’ll settle things with her after we leave.”

Seeing Lu Yalan’s concern for her, Mrs. Mu said nothing more. When Master Liao Yuan finished checking Lu Yalan’s pulse and advised her to rest, they left the room together.

After walking a bit, Mrs. Mu, seeing no one around, could not help her excitement. “Well? Isn’t the future daughter-in-law I picked out wonderful? Grateful, gentle, and most important of all, able to endure the intolerable and knows when to act and when to refrain. She’s truly her mother’s daughter!”

Master Liao Yuan stroked his well-groomed beard, exuding the air of a sage, though his words were less than flattering. “What do you mean you picked her? Wasn’t it you who pestered me for a fortune-telling, then pretended to run into her at the temple gate?”

At his words, Mrs. Mu fumed. “Oh, your ‘destined encounter’ was me twisting my ankle and nearly tumbling down the steps? If not for Yalan, I’d be a heap of broken bones at the foot of Qianyun Mountain by now!”

Liao Yuan was unruffled. “I’d already read your face. You’ll live to be a hundred, surrounded by descendants. You couldn’t die so soon.”

“Oh, really!” Mrs. Mu was successfully soothed.

...

In the forests between Tongcheng and Yancheng, Liu Huzi blundered about like a headless fly, his face caked in blood and filth, not even bothering to wipe the grime from his eyes. His lips were cracked, his new finery torn to rags by branches. He hadn’t rested for a day and a night, his starving stomach wringing in protest, cramping so badly he longed to clutch it and lean against a tree for a moment’s respite.

Just a moment, he thought. Just a short rest.

The thought kept surging in his mind, but he dared not—each time he remembered that expressionless, ruthless man, Liu Huzi knew he couldn’t stop.

If he stopped, he’d be dead!

Shots rang out faintly in the distance, and the thunder of hooves drew ever closer.

Liu Huzi quickened his faltering steps, no longer caring about the others, fleeing toward Yancheng as fast as he could.